War of Repayment
The War of Repayment, or the Sellsword War, was a conflict between the Iron Throne and the Iron Bank of Braavos. When the newly crowned Renly I Baratheon refuses to make payments to the Iron Bank on account of four of his kingdoms not yet swearing fealty, Braavos responds by funding the enemies of the Crown, fueling a largely naval war between the King on the Iron Throne and the King of the Tides. Prelude The King of the Tides With the Iron Throne now securely back in the hands of one man, the Iron Bank begins to seek repayment of previous debts. Renly, unwilling to pay until the North once more swears fealty, foolishly refuses, despite the urging of his advisors. The south was harmed greatly in the War of the Five Kings, and the coffers of the crown had suffered - they had no means with which to pay. Aurane Waters, styled King of the Tides, begins to prod and raid the coasts of Dorne and the Stormlands, capturing trade vessels and demanding tolls of passing ships. King Renly orders the fleet of the Stormlands to engage the pirates, but they are soundly defeated. With Aurane's dominance on the sea thus proven, he lands in the Stormlands and begins to assault holdings such as Rain House and Griffin's Roost. When the Iron Banks hears of this, they settle upon another means of winning back their loan; they decide to finance Aurane until such time as their loans are repaid. They hire for him the Golden Company, and several other mercenary bands, all of which take ship across the Narrow Sea. In 310 AC the Golden Company lands near Sharp Point, and the War of Repayment begins. Course of the War A Bloody Affair The Golden Company wastes no time - upon landing they lay siege to Sharp Point and Stonedance, taking the former when it's inhabitants manage to escape in the middle of the night. Stonedance remains besieged, but the Golden Company leaves behind only a token force as it marches south. Aurane, having recieved the mercenary reinforcements, withdraws from his assaults on the mainland and turns his eye toward the Islands instead. In two great sea battles (The First Battle of Shipbreaker Bay and The Second Battle of Shipbreaker Bay) he takes the islands of Tarth and Greenstone, placing their castles under siege. His ships move northward to Blackwater Bay, threatening Duskendale, Driftmark, Dragonstone and Claw Isle. In Massey's Point, the Golden Company continues besieging castles and defeating local armies in their journey south. They score victory after victory, but the King on the Iron Throne rallies his army, and prepares to strike back. The Crown's Retaliation The Baratheons lead the assault against the Golden Company as they descend into the Crownlands. Despite outnumbering them, the odds are against the crown given the strategic position the Golden Company possesses, commanding a hill with one side flanked by the Wendwater. Renly engages anyway in the Battle of the Wendwater, and is successful in pushing the Golden Company out, but at a great cost of life. The Golden Company retreats back into Massey's Hook in good order. The Redwynes, having brought their fleet around Dorne, meet Aurane in the straits of the Stepstones. Aurane pushes the Redwynes back at the cost of losing much of his navy in The Battle in the Straits, including most of the ships he stole from Cersei Lannister. Men are deployed to Duskendale and Crackclaw Point, as the crown scrambles to defend on all fronts. The Windblown and the Second Sons manage to win the Battle of Duskendale while the Company of the Cat manages to win the Battle of Cracklaw, but with the death of Captain Bloodbeard. A New Deal The Iron Bank, seeing their efforts begin to take effect, agree to negotiate a new deal with the Throne. King Renly Baratheon agrees to send delegates to Braavos, who manage to reach a suitable arrangement. With the Throne once more making payments, the Bank ceases to fund the mercenaries, many of which return to Essos. Thus abandoned, Aurane's men left on Greenstone and Tarth are destroyed in two separate battles, and Aurane falls back to the Stepstones. The Final Push Though Aurane had returned to his pirate den in the Stepstones, the Crown was not quick to forget him. Fleets from the Velaryons, Celtigars, Stormlands, Reach, and the Royal Fleet itself all gather to smoke out the King of the Tides, who is slain in 312 AC. Aftermath Much of the western coast of the Iron Throne is weakened, many of their fleets decimated. The crown resumes payments to the Iron Bank, and Renly Baratheon sets about rebuilding and restoring those lands and strongholds that suffered during the war. Category:Lore-Wars Category:Kingdom of the Iron Throne Category:Braavos